Apgar Campground — Glacier National Park

We stayed 6 nights here and had a great time. The access to lake McDonald is the best part for sure and the wooded sites are beautiful.

Downsides, we have stayed in about a dozen NP campgrounds and this was one of our least favorite. Unlike other National Park campgrounds staying here still requires reservations for main park attractions like going to the sun road and many glacier. The bathrooms don’t have soap and there is no dishwashing stations. Sites are extremely tight and unlevel. Our site claimed to fit a 32ft rig, but there is no way.

This site is close to the bathroom and showers which was nice but if you’re a light sleeper the noise from other campers showering and flushing toilets at night might keep you up. No cell service for AT&T. July 2022

Good campsite (pull through), no hookup. Decent bathrooms, decent view, and close to Lake McDonald for a swim. However, also close to the road, which means that it is quite noisy at night, at least in loop A

This campsite was awesome. It was cute with a stellar view of a mountain right from our tent. It's a short two-minute drive to a strip with a merchandise store, coffee/ice cream shop, restaurant, and a lake where there is a place to rent watercraft. It was a bit chilly at night, definitely slept in layers, but the daytime had nice temps even in the rain. Going-to-the-Sun-Road was closed and typically does not open till late June/July according to park rangers. We were still able to get an amazing hike on the Avalanche trial. I was blown away by the views of this hike and totally understand why Glacier is a popular favorite amongst tourists. I am already planning a trip back!

When a national park bathroom has running water it’s an automatic win. Nice sites it can be hard to get a site so plan accordingly.

It's a campground. The real attraction is Glacier National Park. I was lucky enough to visit when Going to the Sun Road was closed to cars and we could ride our bikes to the top. It was the highlight of my trip. That, and seeing a grizzly bear from the safety of our van. 

It was damp and rainy while we were there. No hook ups in the campground. Generators allowed except during quiet hours. 

This campground is close to Lake McDonald and there's boat rentals nearby.

Cool

Just enough space among the trees to feel by yourself. There is some railroad noise and road construction noise at night. Facilities are decent. No wood gathering for fires. So bring own or pay $9 per bundle.

Costa $20 a night and is a first come first serve. Lots of campsites so you’re sure to get something if you come early enough. Hot showers are also available for FREE.

I was lucky to find a canceled site on rec.gov after 6 months of looking. This was the only way to get onto the Going to the Sun Road. Rangers moved us to more remote site because my wife's medical needs necessitated we use our generator a little more then what was allowed. We really appreciated the rangers for coming up with a solution.

Stopped for a night on my trip to Glacier in May. Not many people here at the time so it was first come first serve and easy to find a spot. Bathrooms are clean. Campsite was quiet. Some sites aren’t very level so watch out for that.

The rangers were great and it was easy to get checked in.

Good got showers. Huge trees. Deer. Friendly staff. Spaced out sites.

Loved how central this campground was and the ability to walk down to Lake McDonald or Apgar Village.

There is also a nice bike path from the campground over to the visitor's center and it also continues all the way into West Glacier.

Sites are spaced out enough and the showers in the A loop were piping hot!

Super friendly staff in both the market and cafe in Apgar Village!

This campground is currently First Come, except for the group sites. We we lucky enough to snag a site and stayed 12 nights. NOTE: Rangers were measuring the sites when we were there so I suspect they are going to move this campground to reservation only for next season. The site may take a little work to level, but doable for most.

On days when the campground is full, in order to snag a site, arrive by 7 and wait in line at then entrance to the campground. You MUST have a park pass AND a Going to the Sun road pass to get through the main gate. No GTR pass? You can walk the 2 miles to the campground entrance. If you snag a site, they will give you a GTR pass for the duration of your stay.

As others have said, the sites are very generous, tree covered and private giving you the feel of being deep in the woods. Generator hours are 8-10, 12-2 and 5-7. There are 3 showers in Loop A.

This is the most beautiful place and the convenience can't be beat.

This campground close to many areas such as the lake McDonald’s, the visitor center, and the village. I walked to those places after a long day of hiking and exploring glacier national park. No showers but bathroom has outlet.

We had a great stay here over Fourth of July. Bathrooms were clean. Showers had hot water. All campers were friendly and respectful of sound levels.

Pro tip, the rangers remove the tags at the campsites that are checking out around 6-7am. So if you’re trying to get a spot that morning, you can see what’s available.

You cannot reach the campground without a reservation to the Going-to-the-Sun road!!!! Reservations for the road are available for 7 days at a time and open 2 days before the day. $2 each.

Without this you have to walk from the entrance to the campsite. Yikes.

A campsite reservation also gives you access to the road. But we figured $2 is nothing compared to the convenience.

All good must be stored in the provided bear storages or your car. See video for bear storage. All of these are shared and accessible by all other campers. Nothing was stolen from us :-)

Highly recommend the site!

Running water, clean bathrooms, and amazing scenery in the forest with decent privacy for how many sites it has

Really excellent location right inside Glacier National Park limits and walking distance to Lake McDonald. I had very limited cell phone service with Verizon at the campground but I had 4G at the lake. The sites were spacious enough. Most sites had a semi circle type parking so easy to get in and out for trailers. Bathroom was ok but there was no soap. No wifi. Trash receptacles were available. The showers were not great. Deer frequented the sites. Proper food storage is very important. It was nice and quiet while I was there but during peak summer months would likely be very busy and crowded.

There's something special about camping inside the park instead of a crammed RV park miles away! This campground was rustic and exactly what I love. The sites are small, but most are spaced apart just enough so that you are not on top of your neighbor. Easy access to Lake McDonald and the Apgar Village area from the campground. Food lockers are provided. The bathroom has flush toilets and is much nicer that I expected for an older park like this. Go at the end of April or early May to avoid massive crowds and feel like you have to place to yourself!

Whether you’ve arrived on foot, by car or by rail, Apgar places you in an excellent position to take advantage of what Glacier has to offer. This is particularly true for first time visitors, and those seeking to avail themselves of regular access to park amenities, which are predominantly concentrated here in West Glacier. Apgar is walking distance from the Apgar Visitor Center and park shuttles, as well as Apgar Village, camp store, equipment rentals, etc. I was privileged to camp here near the end of season, and fortunate to arrive with spaces open, and the adjacent loop closed for the season and maintenance. Traffic near the entrance can be relatively heavy in the morning, drivers trying to get a jump on limited parking for hikes elsewhere, leading up to checkout.

Situated near the southern outlet of Lake McDonald into McDonald Creek above the middle fork of the Flathead, it worked well as a great jumping off point to explore landmarks on the West shore like the Apgar Fire Lookout tower and Fish Creek camp, and then push North and East into the park visiting the Lake McDonald Lodge as you climb toward Logan Pass. Recommend getting here around checkout, it fills up fast on a first come first serve basis. Same for the shuttles, particularly if you’re planning a longer outing like the Highline Trail. Parking fills up quickly at Logan Pass, shuttles fill up quickly here. Pay attention to schedule changes for both directions of your journey, give yourself time to enjoy the park, and get to the shuttle stop before the last shuttle.

Pros: Newly remodeled hot showers, which are apparently free to use for through hikers as well. Well maintained sites, helpful host staff. Close to park infrastructure and Lake McDonald

Cons: Busy, fills up quickly. Farther away from the park’s major trails.

During season it fills quickly, and though same day was possible this visit, likely will require reservations going forward. Fees scale by season and use. Off season/winter it is free first come first served. Visitor Center restrooms remain open, but the remainder of facilities are closed.

They reopened just one loop (B) for primitive camping on the day we arrived. So the dump station was closed as were some of the toilet facilities. Vault toilets were still available.

We saw wolves stroll through the first evening we were there.

Camps were spaced okay, but nothing secluded. I could see 6 or 7 other camp fires burning while sitting next to mine.

We stayed three nights and every night heard someone a site or two over as he was talking too loud (and too much). The last night we were there I could even hear snoring from the site next to us. Plus trains run all night.

All of that being said, the park is such a beautiful place that it’s easy to look past those things.

This camp is near the entrance and walking distance to Apgar village and the south end of Lake McDonald. We could get some cell service in those locations, but none at camp on either Verizon or AT&T.

Definitely would return.

Stayed there for couple of days. Easy access to market and water. Will recommend.

Excellent

This is where I go to find my soul again. Large campgrounds with several loop. Camp amongst Aspen trees. Bathrooms, water, and picnic tables

A little crowded but that is expected. Clean bathrooms and plenty of tree cover. In walking distance to Apgar restaurants and stores.

Typical national park accommodations. Nice and clean sites. Close to Lake McDonald and Apgar visitor center, gift shops and cafes. Be ready to reserve your campsites 6 months in advance. Nice bike path to ride around the area.

This is THE campground to go to in Glacier-especially if you have an RV or if you have a tent but don’t want to risk not getting a backcountry permit. It has a multitude of campsites and parking spots, as well as being walking distance from the lake and shops (gift shops, restaurant, convenience store, firewood, ice cream, crafts, and more). Beautiful sunset over the lake’s mountains too!

We landed a great spot at the back of loop D. These sites on the outside of the loop have more privacy and trees. Our sit was huge and backed up to a lot of trees. Within an hour of arriving we saw a black bear and her 2 cubs about 50 yards behind our site! Then shortly after that a deer walked into our neighbor’s site.

The bathrooms are what you’d expect at a national park campground. Fresh water was readily available and tasted great. Close to the Apgar Visitors Center so you can easily walk to the shuttle. Very peaceful and beautiful, I’d definitely camp here again.

I don't often "car-camp" but I will here. It's a good place to stay in order to be close to starting off a day of adventures in the park. This is a large campground so there will be plenty of other people but with the dense forest and small sites it is usually pleasant. You can walk to the amphitheater for ranger talks and then take in sunset on the lake. Tent and Rv sites but no power or sewer hookups, just a dump station